DHS’s Cary: InfraGard partnerships help protect infrastructure

When it comes to protecting critical infrastructure from the threat of harm, Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Infrastructure Protection’s Regulatory Compliance Chief, Rick Cary, considers the InfraGard program to be a vital tool. InfraGard is a partnership between the FBI and members of the private sector that provides a vehicle for public-private collaboration with government “that expedites the timely exchange of information and promotes mutual learning opportunities relevant to the protection of critical infrastructure,” according to the InfraGard website.

The Houston area’s InfraGard chapter, with its approximately 3,500 members, is one of the “biggest and best” in the United States., Cary noted. “There are a lot of special interest groups that may focus right in on what you want. It’s not always information technology (IT) anymore. A lot of times it’s physical security…that goes to big stadiums, shopping centers, and school districts,” Cary said, addressing delegates to the Environmental, Health and Safety Seminar and Industry held recently in Galveston, Texas.